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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · cap · pitch · deal · ground · mouse · bat · lash

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mate — a friend
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bat — the animal
  16. ground — a position
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pitch — completely
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com